To Catch a Thief
by pocketgopher
Summary: WYDS (What You Didn't See) from the last episode, where Hotsuma and Ryoko were fighting... H/R, r


Disclaimer: don't own 'em, don't sue, no money.

To catch a Thief

Hotsuma was watching contentedly on his big screen surveillance TV as Ryoko got dressed for bed. (U laugh, I kill.) He felt a little dirty about watching her 24/7 like that, but it was Ugi's orders, and he couldn't disobey Ugi. Still…Suddenly, he saw something that almost made him jump from his chair in anger. There, on the screen, large as life, Ryoko was kissing a picture of Tenchi. He thought he had rid Tenchi from her thoughts forever, if not longer. Why he was so mad was a question which he did not bother to ask… nay, did not want to ask himself. The only course of action that seemed open to him was to ask Ugi if he could give up this mission.

"Of course you can't quit! Are you crazy? You must complete your mission, but I will change it." She began to control his will again. " You must show Ryoko how it is to hurt. You must hurt Ryoko like you have been hurt. Show her what she has lost. Then, I will relieve you from this mission as soon as you have completed this task." "You are right, Ugi." Hotsuma's eyes were glowing a strange color. "You are always right."

After a good nights rest, Ryoko was flying among the snowfall on her base planet. She really wished to be back home, the snow reminded her so much of Tenchi… Heck, if she had to be honest, almost everything reminded her of Tenchi. She had to admit, though, Hotsuma was being very nice to her. Suddenly, he appeared next to her. _Speak of the devil…_

"And he shall appear." Answered Hotsuma, surprising her by completing her sentence. Something else was wrong. She could see it on his face; feel it in the air. "Ryoko, I have put up with you for as long as I found possible. Now I find it necessary to destroy you. You shall never leave."

"What!" Ryoko could hardly believe her ears, but she quickly recovered. "Yeah, well, traveling with you was no great event in my life. The only reason I came on this idiotic little journey was because I needed some fun, and besides, you had a great spaceship." "Did you hate (here his voice caught almost imperceptibly) traveling with me so much, Ryoko?" Ryoko's eyes widened, then narrowed again. She didn't know what was going on, but she thought that, just for a second, she had seen more than hatred and anger in his eyes. She had thought she had seen…pain? Yeah right "What does it matter, either way?" "You are right, it doesn't matter now. Now you must die!!" With a look in his eyes somewhat akin to a maniac's look, he fired a ball of energy at her, which Ryoko easily deflected. "Traitor," she hissed. "Traitor? To what? At least you **knew** I was a pirate."

As they continued fighting, Ryoko became more and more aware of two startling facts. One, Hotsuma was definitely holding back; not really trying to destroy her. Why? And two, their was a wrongness to this battle. They shouldn't be fighting. Not when she was so close to having a friend, and, who knew? Maybe a new love to fill Tenchi's place in her heart. 

As she was completing these musings, however, she noticed that Hotsuma had turned into his evolved pirate form., and was powering up for a final, killing blast. Knowing she couldn't defend against it, she prepared herself for death. However, at the very last second, Hotsuma jumped in the way of his own blast, which knocked him unconscious. Before Ryoko could reach him, he was taken into a secret underground lair which noone could enter. One of the servant robots gave Ryoko a letter, handwritten on creamy stationary paper. It said:

My princess, Ryoko

I will be gone if you are reading this, so it is therefore my last will and testament. I leave everything to you, and I ask, please, that you take good care of Gaiyan. One other thing, before you depart for Earth. Please destroy Ugi for me, and tell Tenchi how lucky he is. 

Love Always,Hotsuma 

I hope you enjoyed this, I thought Hotsu-chan was really out of character in that last ep, so I just had to change it. Watch out for Ryoko's side of the story, coming soon! 


End file.
